The number of registered foreigners staying in Korea long term for study or work has surpassed 1.6 million. They are concentrated in the southern Gyeonggi region.
According to the monthly statistics bulletin of the Korea Immigration Service published by the Ministry of Justice on the 27th, as of the end of November this year, there were 2,725,083 foreigners staying in the country.
Of these, 564,523 were short-term stayers who entered for tourism and other purposes, 553,927 were foreign nationals of Korean descent who filed domestic residence reports, and 1,606,633 were registered foreigners.
The number of registered foreigners increased by 8.0% from a year earlier (1,488,091). Over the same period, the total number of foreigners staying in the country rose 3.2%.
Registered foreigners are those who entered Korea intending to stay 90 days or longer for study or employment and completed registration. They can be issued a foreigner registration card. If they change their residence, they must report it within 14 days.
The number of registered foreigners grew sharply each year: 1,093,891 in 2021, 1,189,585 in 2022, 1,348,626 in 2023, and 1,488,353 in 2024. This year, the figure topped 1.6 million for the first time.
By nationality among registered foreigners, China accounted for 478,403 (29.8%), Vietnam 296,235 (18.4%), Nepal 88,210 (5.5%), Uzbekistan 68,625 (4.3%), Cambodia 65,963 (4.1%), and Indonesia 61,371 (3.8%). The Chinese total includes ethnic Koreans.
By visa status, the largest group was non-professional employment (E-9) entrants under the employment permit system with 335,122. They were followed by student (D-2) visas with 222,099, permanent residents (F-5) with 219,266, and marriage migrants (F-6) with 152,546.
A total of 54.0% of registered foreigners live in the greater Seoul area. They were followed by Yeongnam (20.6%), Chungcheong (12.8%), and Honam (8.9%).
Among cities, counties, and districts in the greater Seoul area, the place with the largest concentration of registered foreigners was Hwaseong, Gyeonggi (54,584). Next were Siheung (42,158), Danwon District in Ansan (38,398), and Pyeongtaek (35,893), which also had large registered foreigner populations.
Seoul has 280,253 registered foreigners. Guro District has the most with 24,518, followed by Yeongdeungpo District (23,880), Dongdaemun District (20,821), and Gwanak District (19,799).